Page 10 of Claimed By Desire

She leans back, head hanging. Tears roll down her face, but she’s not sobbing out of control anymore.

“I can’t make excuses. But I can tell you that Stepan didn’t suffer.“

“Like that makes it any better.”

“And he was buried with honor.” I know that doesn’t matter to her, but it meant something to me at the time.

She lets out an ugly laugh. “I bet the funeral was nice. I bet it really helped you gain some closure, right? Except I wasn’t there and nobody even bothered to tell me about it.”

We stop talking. The sound of the city creeps in. Cars in the street, birds in the nearby park trees. A laugh erupts from half a block away as a couple of young women stagger together, arm-in-arm.

I don’t tell her that she’s right. I don’t explain to her how horrible I find this whole situation, how much I hated her father when he dropped this nightmare into my lap, and how painful this is for me, too. Watching Nat break down is almost like losing Stepan all over again, and that nearly killed me.

Stepan was everything. He was my best friend, my confidante, the only person in the world that knew and understood me, andwithout him I’d be a little nobody right now living a normal, boring life.

I am what I am today because of him and his family.

I owe them absolutely everything.

So even if I don’t agree with how her father handled everything—I follow orders anyway.

“What if I refuse to go home?” Nat says suddenly, looking up at me. Tear-streaked, defiant, and stunningly beautiful.

God, this girl.Divinedoesn’t do her justice.

“That’s not an option.”

“You’re going to kidnap me?”

“Nat—“

“No, seriously, what are you going to do? Throw me over your shoulder and drag me onto a plane?”

“Yes, if that’s what it takes. I’ll drug you, bundle you into a car, and drive you to a private airport, where very highly paid pilots who are used to working for your father will keep their mouths shut.”

Her jaw sets, and she knows I’m not lying. She knows damn well that when I’m given a task, I see it through.

“You really do love following orders,” she sneers.

I don’t let her see how much that bothers me.

“Neither of us has a choice here.”

“Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?”

“No, you’re supposed to understand that we’re both trapped by forces bigger than either of us. I’m sorry about Stepan. I really fucking am. You know how much I loved your brother.”

She softens, but only slightly. “I know you did.”

“I find it totally fucked that you weren’t told until right now, and if you want to hate me for it, that’s your right. I won’t blame you. But I was sent here to bring you home, and I’m going to bring you home, no matter what.”

Another long silence.

As bad as this is, I know it’s only going to get worse.

Because I haven’t told her everything yet.

And this last part?

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